The Great Resignation made front-page news in 2021 and remains a labor market talking point this year. According to the Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS), the Great Resignation in the United States continued in February 2022, with more than 4.3 million people quitting their jobs after a series high of 4.5 million in November 2021. 

While Willis Towers Watson’s 2022 Global Benefits Attitudes Survey estimates that only 11% planned to look for a job in the first quarter of 2022 out of 44% job seekers, employees quitting their jobs continues to become a trend in the second quarter and even went viral on TikTok. 

The hashtag #greatresignation gained over 163.5 million views on the popular video-sharing mobile application, followed by #quittingmyjob with over 123.6 million views. TikTok users share their working conditions that urged them to quit. 

One of them shared that employees have to report to work even if they tested positive for COVID-19. According to @saygracee23 in her #quittingmyjob video that has over 1.2 million views, employees avoid being late or absent to get eligible for bonuses. Since they are understaffed, her employer pledged a 100 USD bonus per paycheck if an employee has no call-outs.

Another user named @annamsutter, who claims she is an “achiever since birth,” decided to quit her job due to struggles at work. She said, “no job should make you compromise your mental health, physical health, your well-being, personal relationship, and your personal life in general.” Her #greatresignation video has 1.7 million views.

What HR Managers Can Do

Reevaluate work setup. Mark Lobosco, Vice President of Talent Solutions at LinkedIn, mentioned in his article on LinkedIn that employees, as well as job hunters. now prefer a good work-life balance career over competitive benefits and compensation. 

Employees also desire flexibility. They want to be able to work from anywhere, at any time, and in whatever way they can. Results of a Flexjobs survey revealed that work flexibility has a “huge” or “positive” impact on employees’ quality of life. If companies allow people to enjoy flexibility, HR managers should ensure that policies and programs regarding work arrangements meet the needs of employees and are also aligned with business goals.

Welcome diversity in the workplace. Culture is one of the factors that compel employees to leave. The organization must foster an environment in which it is safe for their employees to be themselves. HR managers must promote diversity consistently in different areas, starting from how employees are recruited and interviewed to their access to programs that promote growth and inclusion. HR managers must ensure that policies affecting diversity should lead to inclusion in the workplace.

“Employees are more comfortable in organizations where diversity, equity, and inclusion are being promoted. Reversely, employees felt an aversion towards experiences of disrespect and unethical behavior within the company,” Manoj Dubey, a consultant at The KPI Institute, wrote in his article on Performance Magazine titled “The Great Resignation and the Requirement of a Data-driven Approach from HR.”

Use the right metrics and KPIs. Human resource professionals are rethinking their roles, culture, and values in response to the Great Resignation. Recruiting and retaining talent has become a challenge for them due to the changing preferences in the job market. Data can help HR predict trends and problems, determine what needs to be done or improve in different areas, and understand what employees need from their workplace. 

One of the things they should pay attention to and explore further is the use of key performance indicators (KPIs). The KPI Institute released The Top 25 Human Resources KPIs – 2020 Extended Edition report, which compiles the most popular 25 KPIs used by Human Resources divisions throughout 2016 and 2020. The 25 Human Resources KPIs identified are categorized into seven divisions:

• Compensation and Benefits capabilities capitalize on the value of effectual reward systems.
• Efficiency and Effectiveness divisions are concerned with the measurement of productivity achievement.
• Recruitment teams monitor the overall effectiveness of the recruitment process.
• Retention focuses on employee satisfaction, engagement, and turnover.
• Talent Development refers to brandishing human capital potential in a manner that maximizes its contribution to the overall performance of the organization.
• Working Environment focuses on the consolidation of a productive working environment that harnesses workforce performance.
• Workforce references job stratification and employee distribution as part of an integrated performance management system.

Learn more about the 25 most popular human resources KPIs today and read about the best practices in KPI selection and documentation. Download The Top 25 Human Resources KPIs – 2020 Extended Edition now!

This piece is originally published in the latest edition of Performance Magazine. Here is the response of Alina Miertou, a Senior Management Consultant at The KPI Institute, to the question “What’s the Best Way to Measure Employee Performance?”

I wouldn’t say there is a “best way to measure employee performance management given that performance management practices should be customized for the context they’re being implemented. 

However, we can still see the traditional approach in employee performance management based on bi-annually appraisals of the KPIs, behaviors and skills, and competencies in numerous organizations. Clearly, there has been a trend developed in the past few years, and this is abandoning the traditional performance appraisals in favor of recurrent feedback and more informal check-ins. 

One of the reasons for the change we see in employee performance management comes directly from the employees, with the workforce dominated by millennials. The management style is forced to accommodate their expectations, such as participation, flexibility, creativity or focus on creating an impact through their jobs. A study done by PWC in 2011 stated: “Millennials tend to be uncomfortable with rigid corporate structures and turned off by information silos. They expect rapid progression, a varied and interesting career and constant feedback.” 

The second most important reason comes from the business needs. In a world full of information that is changing rapidly and facing a growing employee retention issue (for example, all the organizations I have worked with this year had at least one objective regarding retention and improving their brand as an employer), we can no longer afford to base our employee performance management on punishing or rewarding past behavior or past performance. 

We are challenged to always be on the lookout for ways to improve performance and grow the talent pool available in the organization. A growing number of organizations (around more than a third of US companies) are choosing a less rigid and more frequent performance review rather than a formal appraisal score. 

Alina Miertou facilitates the Certified OKR Professional Live Online Course of The KPI Institute. The course is designed for professionals who want to understand how to deploy and use OKRs. Some of the learning objectives are to distinguish objectives, key results, and initiatives; identify the different types of OKRs; and determine the advantages of stretched goals. Learn more about the course and its schedule in the following months here.

Editor’s Note: Below is an excerpt from the article “Sustainability Standards and KPIs As Game Changers,” written by Silvana Badita and published in the latest edition of Performance Magazine. It presents trends, solutions, and best practices for strategy and performance management through in-depth articles, first-hand how-to’s, concept presentations, case studies, and expert insights.

Companies can no longer afford to ignore sustainability. It is not just a trend but a major factor that drives where most businesses are headed. According to Globescan’s The State of Sustainable Business 2019, reputational risks, consumer demand, investor interest, operational risk, and employee engagement are some of the catalysts behind the sustainability efforts of most organizations. 

Manufacturing is one of the industries that are pressured to realign their activities with the mounting call for sustainability practices. Sustainable manufacturing refers to developing products with minimal negative environmental impacts and maximum contribution to the conservation of natural resources. These products are expected to be economically sound and safe for employees, communities, and consumers. 

Sustainable manufacturing aims to reduce the intensity of materials use, energy consumption, emissions, and unwanted byproducts while maintaining or improving the value provided for society and organizations. 

Some relevant key performance indicators that are often considered when evaluating the sustainability of manufacturing companies are:

• Environmental performance KPIs, such as: # Air emissions, % Energy utilization, % Hazardous waste etc.
• Economic performance KPIs: % Product reliability, % Conformance to specifications, $ Material cost, % Labor cost etc.
• Social performance KPIs: % Occupational health and safety, % Turnover rate, % Supplier commitment etc.

Sustainability standards are observed to ensure quality, transparency, compliance, and results in terms of making organizations accountable for their economic, environmental, and social performance.

The GRI Standards

Among the internationally renowned frameworks is the Global Reporting Initiative’s (GRI) Sustainability Reporting Standards. The GRI Standards consist of Universal Standards, which apply to all organizations and report on human rights and environmental due diligence, the new Sector Standards for sector-specific impacts, and the Topic Standards that come with the revised Universal Standards and relate to a particular topic.

Their vision is to create a sustainable future enabled by transparency and open dialogue about impacts. In this regard, they are a provider of the world’s most widely used sustainability disclosure standards.

With GRI Standards, companies can publicly present the outcomes of their activities in a structured way. This allows their stakeholders and interested parties to better see their status of how they are responding to calls for sustainability. GRI Standards can be used by any type of organization, whether large or small, public or private, or from any location or industry.

“Learning is changing, and management is changing. But it’s exciting to be part of this change,” according to Dr. Aurel Brudan, CEO and founder of The KPI Institute. 

In a podcast interview hosted by Lu Ngo of ILMS, Dr. Aurel shared his knowledge and insights on the changes that organizations have been navigating since the pandemic started. With over 19 years of international work experience in Europe, North America, and Australia, Dr. Aurel has delivered training and learning sessions in a variety of settings for different industries. His areas of expertise include strategic and operational planning, project management, and strategic performance management systems implementation.

In the past two years, Dr. Aurel said that the interest in digital transformation, advanced analytics, and artificial intelligence has increased. In terms of strategy and performance management, he explained that the trends revolve around agility, innovation, and relationship management, which shapes how companies interact with customers and employees. He stressed the importance of constantly monitoring the business environment and responding to the changes accordingly.

One powerful change he observed is “the accelerated pace of innovation,” which influences how people experience services today, such as dining and shopping. He pointed out that innovation can be driven by either organizations or individuals who now have more time to “refocus their efforts and reprioritize things in their lives.”

According to Dr. Aurel, The KPI Institute is also adapting to the times in several ways. Its latest efforts are enhancing research frameworks across various research centers, restructuring learning journeys, and exploring the practice of consulting 4.0 or delivering consultancy services in a virtual environment.

Dr. Aurel also delved into the most pressing issues that affect how organizations develop their strategies. He explained how integrating sustainability into business plans could affect profitability and how a certain level of capability maturity can sustain operations. He expounded on the equilibrium between efficiency and resilience as well as the concept of well-being performance. In addition, he described how too much efficiency can affect the productivity and attitude of employees.

One of the questions that Ngo asked Dr. Aurel concerns organizations with limited resources: How will they be able to apply the new best practices in order to thrive these times? Watch the whole podcast interview to find out what he believes is the best solution.

The other topics discussed during the interview are:

• The three major changes in managing and measuring employee performance in work from home setup
• The four enablers of the changes in strategy and performance management
• How The KPI Institute applies the latest concepts in strategy
• Two important practices that will shape the workplace culture in 2022

Discover them all by watching Dr. Aurel’s entire interview now!